From the Sand to the Sky
by Mackenzie L
Summary: "Not many women are lucky enough to have an island named after them. My husband believed I was a worthy exception." Isle Esme wasn't always just a dream...
1. From the Sand to the Sky

**From the Sand to the Sky**

**by Mackenzie L.**

_The story of how Esme gets her island, told from Esme's point of view. _

_This story has been rated M for future love scenes to take place on exotic islands..._

_*The Twilight Saga and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer._

_

* * *

_

Vampires cannot dream. Without sleep, there was no time for dreams.

But even in a state of being wide awake, the creative mind could still conjure images and feelings that transcended the tangible world.

There were many mornings where I would lay in my husband's arms in our bed, staring up at the ceiling with unfocused eyes. What I saw was not the smooth wooden rafters above us, but a hidden vista of colors and lights that ribboned within a fantasy behind my gaze. I was free to look upon this fantasy world which no one around me could see.

Sometimes Carlisle would ask me what I was looking at, and I had to answer him truthfully.

_"I'm dreaming."_

I was in denial that dreams were impossible for me. I could dream whenever I wanted, and better yet, I could control my dreams from within my own mind. I could imagine the most dangerous and thrilling and fantastical scenarios, all while tucked safely in Carlisle's arms, my head at rest on his shoulder.

_"What are you dreaming about, love?" _he would humor me in his gentle voice, and I was helpless to tell him everything I saw behind my eyes.

It was a glorious challenge to explain the colors and sights and sounds of my dreams to him, but nothing had stopped me from trying. He listened so intently that I felt all my efforts were worth it. Somehow I knew Carlisle was able to see everything as I did - just as clearly, just as vividly.

And when I offered him my dreams, he offered me his in return.

Our nights together went by slowly, with a pace that matched that of oils drying on canvas. For the slow pace, we were both grateful. There was so little time to spend with one another during the day, so little time when we could retreat to silence and have only the company of each other. It was the time we had been given to renew our intimacy, even if all we did was lay still in each other's arms and watch the stars sink into the night outside our window.

Before the sun rose that morning, my husband silently slipped from my arms to disappear among the shadows of our bedroom, his footsteps leading him around the carpet in an unknown path. Though my heart protested, I let him leave me, understanding that sometimes solitude still called to him, asking for a moment to think alone.

I watched his silhouette against the dark blue glow of the window as he gracefully dressed himself in loose fitting clothes and drew the curtains to protect me from the sun that would soon intrude. I saw his arm raise to the top of the dresser to pick his journal out of the mess of books. The soft song of his footsteps slowed by my bedside as he paused to lean over me, brushing his lips against my forehead. He would never depart our room without leaving a piece of his love behind.

Beneath the feathery weight of his kiss, I closed my eyes in contentment and let him go.

My mind drifted away into dreams again, only this time I felt slightly empty without him leaning over my shoulder, asking me to share with him every mystery behind my closed eyes. I listened to the sounds of Carlisle leaving the house, the thoughtful scratch of Edward's pen on notebook paper downstairs, the quiet mumbles of Rosalie and Emmett as they conspired a way to get the house to themselves later this afternoon.

I sighed as I turned my face to the window Carlisle had covered with the curtains. I could see the slow ascent of the sun through them, peeking between the draped fabric. A single sliver of promising golden light leaked through the slit, touching my arm where it lay on the pillow.

After twenty-six days without a drop of sunshine, I could not spend one more second in a dark room by myself.

Hastily, I pulled myself out of bed, gathering my blouse and stockings as I made my way around the room. I dressed hurriedly and sailed down the stairs, reaching the front door that begged me to open it.

The breeze that tickled my brow as I stepped outside that morning was chilly, reminding me of the season soon to change. The wind picked up as I closed the door behind me, fragrant with the crisp and comforting scents of late autumn. Around my ankles, ruby colored leaves were dancing lazily, encouraging me to pick up my pace as I rushed to meet my husband at the edge of the glassy pond in our backyard.

Carlisle stood still by the water, like a beautiful blond statue as he savored his time of reflection. I did not have to see his face to know the pensive expression that would paint his familiar features as he watched the silent scenery before him. I could see it in my mind, quite perfectly. His brow would be furrowed ever so slightly, the corner of his lip raised just a tad; his eyes would be half-closed as he watched the gentle ripples on the surface of the pond, his hands linked together in an unaware prayer, resting against his midriff.

Eager to see if I was correct, I hurried along as the leaves chased after my feet, my steps leaving imprints in the soft brown grass. I noticed his journal laying on the ground, several feet away from where he was standing, and I smiled to myself.

"Who knew we would be getting sunshine today?" I said as I stepped up to my husband's side.

He looked down at me with a grateful smile and tucked one arm around my waist to pull me close.

"You're thinking very hard about something," I whispered knowingly after a moment, my hand making methodical circles across his stomach.

"You know me so well," he said above me, his voice delicate and filled with awe.

I reached over to squeeze his hand. "Tell me what's on your mind," I suggested quietly.

The distant melody of birds in the trees above us filled the silence as he hesitated for a moment.

"I've just been wondering about something for a while, now."

I tilted my head up to see his face. "Hm? What were you wondering?"

His eyes flickered tentatively over the scene in front of him before he looked back to me. "It's going to sound fairly silly and a little strange to you."

"Only the best thoughts are so," I assured him.

He smiled more broadly then, and after giving my face a very long and honest stare, he asked, "If you could have your very own island, what would it be like?"

It was such a ridiculous question I all but laughed. He was so eager, so wistful in his curiosity that I couldn't resist the urge to indulge him a bit.

"Hmm. Let me think, now..." I humored him, squinting my eyes in thought. "It would have to be someplace very warm. Nowhere dreadful like the Arctic circle."

He chuckled. "Obviously."

"It would be exotic. Like those pictures you see in travel catalogues, only it would be full of color. And wild birds. I love birds."

"What else do you love?" he asked intimately, gently tugging my hands to bring me down into the grass beside him.

"Trees. I love trees. Lots of trees, so I can never run out of new ones to climb."

"Go on." He leaned back contentedly in the grass, as if listening to me ramble were somehow relaxing. His golden eyes were eager as he waited for me to continue, the sunlight leaving diamonds to twinkle over his skin.

I plucked the blades of grass from under my hand one by one as I spoke, "I'd want everything to be bright, from the sand to the sky. Everything would look like a living painting, and the sun would shine practically every day...and no one but you or I would ever visit the island... "

"What else?" he pressed, hanging on my every word.

I looked to him doubtfully, at a loss for anything I could have possibly missed in my description.

"You're the finest artist I know. Paint me a picture, Esme."

"Are you suggesting that I stretch out a canvas and create an entire map of this island?" I had said it in jest, but my husband took such things far too literally.

"I wish you would!"

"Oh, really, Carlisle."

Compared to the rather melancholy state in which I had found him, he was now in a frightfully playful mood. I gaped at him as he sat up to tear out a page from his journal and he practically shoved his fountain pen into my hand.

"Then just sketch it out for me here, will you?"

I reserved a moment for a fit of laughter. "You're asking me to sketch you an island?"

"Yes, sketch away," he said enthusiastically, bringing my hand down until the tip of the pen met the paper.

"Alright then..."

I obediently sketched the rough outline of an irregularly shaped piece of land, and drew tiny waves in the ocean around it. I felt odd harnessing the power of the peacock blue ink - I had always joked with Carlisle that no one could manage to make such a wild color look as elegant as he did.

"How's that?" I asked as I finished coloring the ocean.

"Beautiful. Now what's _on_ the island?"

"Hm, I think I'd like lots of trees over here..." I sketched in a cluster of palms on one side of the island. "And over here, I think I'd want a waterfall."

He leaned closer to my shoulder as I scribbled, and my hand grew slightly unsteady.

"And under the waterfall I'd want a pool where I could swim, and a cave behind the waterfall where I could hide when it rains."

"Lovely…" Carlisle murmured encouragingly.

"Of course, I'd need a house to live in…So that would be over here," I muttered half to myself as I quickly drew in a small house by the trees. Deciding it was too small for my liking, I discreetly extended the walls with my pen, making it just a tad more luxurious to better fit my tastes.

"Don't get too carried away now..." he whispered with a sweet kiss to my cheek, which I supposed was his way of softening the blow.

"Why not?" I asked quietly in challenge. "It's only a dream."

His eyes glittered under the fiery autumn sunshine. "Sometimes dreams can become real."

Oddly enough, I did not give this statement much thought from that moment on. I had guessed he was only trying to be unnecessarily romantic as a ploy to receive urgent kisses from me. Which he did.

But regardless...

I had barely given a second thought to that late autumn morning we had spent by the pond, drawing up foolish little maps of islands that did not exist.

There was never a time when I considered myself in any way dissatisfied with my life since welcoming Emmett and Rosalie into our family. I had three children who loved me dearly, a husband who loved me even more dearly, and countless reasons for existing that I had never dreamed of having before.

With a life such as this, there was no gift I could receive that would make my joy any greater.

This was what I had assumed.

Little did I know, my husband had set out to prove that I was most mistaken.


	2. The Tree and the Treasure Map

**Chapter 2:**

**The Tree and the Treasure Map**

**

* * *

**

I knew when Carlisle was coming home.

I didn't even have to be familiar with his schedule, or overhear when he planned to wrap things up at the hospital. He could have left our house in the morning or in the middle of the night, without a word regarding when he would be back, and I would still know the moment of his return.

It was a change in the atmosphere, I supposed – a fleeting, warm signal from afar. It was as if he could stretch his spirit out to me, touching me with his presence long before he arrived. As if we were ethereally connected.

All it took was this fragile sensation and I would leave behind whatever it was I was doing to greet him. His timing was uncanny.

He walked through the door, tall and proud in his white doctor's coat, his briefcase at his side. He expected me to pounce when he came through that door. He knew it was coming, and I could almost sense that little spark of giddy energy he tried to hide right before I leapt into his arms.

He dropped everything he was holding to make space for me only, his arms wrapping tightly around my waist as he drew me close and let me kiss him with abandon. This moment never changed, no matter how many years we had been together, no matter how many times he came home to me at the end of his day. It was always the same – just as intense, just as assuring – and it promised the same fulfillment every time he opened the door. We were familiar with this contentment, this complete security of having one another close. There was nothing in the world that could compare to it, and we never needed to search for anything more than what we had.

Today was different, however, and we both knew it. Our 20th wedding anniversary was tomorrow – finally, it had fallen on a Saturday – finally, we would be free to enjoy the entire day without interruptions or obligations. Twenty years we had been married… The thought seemed to surge between us, both of us remembering the little detail in the backs of our minds as we kissed in the doorway.

I kissed him harder whenever I had these kinds of thoughts, reassuring my lips that their mated pair would never disappear into thin air. I held his shoulders tighter, reassuring my hands that his presence was and forever would be real, all mine to hold.

He seemed different somehow as he kissed me. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but something in the way his lips moved under mine was noticeably cunning. He would pull back slightly to allow himself a moment to look into my eyes – something he always did when we kissed – and his gaze was sparkling with affection, contentment, and something akin to mischief.

Before I could give him so much as a questioning glance, his lips were pressed to mine again, softer this time, though I wanted more and he knew it.

"What's this?" he asked suddenly, breaking our heated kisses to pat at the side of his coat.

"Hmm?" I groaned lightly, unappreciative that he seemed so intent on disrupting our passion.

"In my pocket." He slowly guided my hand into the inner pocket of his lab coat and pulled out with it a crinkled piece of aged paper. His fingers helped mine to unfold the page.

"It's... a map," I answered, staring blankly at the swirling lines and markings that made up its confusing composition.

I looked up to find my husband smirking mysteriously at me. "Well then, why don't you follow it and see where it leads you?"

So this was what he was being so cryptic about. I thought he had been keeping a secret from me, but I never had expected this. Smiling, I flipped the page around in my hands, excited to decipher the puzzle he had given me.

"I don't even know where to begin," I admitted with a laugh as I tried to understand his illegible markings.

"I'll give you a hint to help you start out," he said, leaning over my shoulder as he pointed to a small purple dot on the far corner of the map. "You're right here."

As I squinted thoughtfully down at the drawing, it slowly began to make sense to me. I fit together the separate lines and squares, recognizing the familiar layout of the house I had designed as it took shape before my eyes. "I see..." I murmured as I traced my finger over the dotted blue line that appeared to lead outside. "And I'm guessing I'm meant to find the treasure?" I asked as my finger stopped on the scarlet 'X' that marked a tree in our yard.

"'X' does mark the spot," he teased, giving my bottom a gentle nudge in the direction of the door.

I scooted ahead of him with his encouragement, not bothering to put shoes on before I pranced barefoot into the sunless spring afternoon.

My feet went faster when I saw the familiar pear tree on the far western side of our property. I double checked the map he had drawn to be sure this was the tree he wanted me to find.

Of course it was.

That tree was special to us, for reasons we tended not to share with anyone besides ourselves. On our first day visiting this property, we had gotten a bit distracted when viewing the quality of the yard. Somehow I'd found myself up in that tree, reenacting the day I fell as a sixteen-year-old rebel on the farmlands of Ohio. I recalled Carlisle watching me from below with utmost fondness, the look on his face bordering pure exuberance as he promised to catch me if I fell.

Oddly enough, I did manage to slip from the tree. True to his word, he caught me in his arms.

The innocently teasing scene ended with the deed to the house held by our joint hands. We couldn't bear the thought of leaving that tree behind. From that day forward, it became a secret meeting place of sorts for us. If one of us was feeling withdrawn, we could always find the other there beneath the shade of that simple pear tree. We visited it in the middle of the night to soak up the romance from its sweet blossoms. We spent chilly autumn mornings curled up against its warm bark as we shared kisses and poetry. It was almost a sacred site by this point, and I was sometimes overcome with bittersweet regret at the thought that we would have to leave this property one day and find a new tree to spoil with our love and attention.

If there were any place most appropriate to mark on a treasure map, it was that tree.

Its cheerful green leaves seemed to stir in greeting as we came upon it. I had always marveled at how full of life that tree was, how it seemed to recognize us as the couple who had deemed it as the most special one in our backyard.

At first I circled the base of the tree, digging my toes in the dirt to look for hints that he had drawn an 'X' in the ground somewhere close by. Carlisle watched me pace with a deeply amused expression, and I knew from his look that I must have been searching in all the wrong places.

Curious, I turned my gaze upward and leaned closer to the tree, staring up through the clusters of leaves to see something perched on a high branch above me. I glanced back at Carlisle to find him staring innocently back at me. A grin broke over my face. I knew I had found the treasure.

Quickly I climbed the tree to see what he had hidden inside for me to find. Lying there on the branch I found the sketch of my imaginary island, along with a curious piece of long white paper covered in small print, and an envelop with my name written in bright blue ink.

I tore open the envelop with all the clumsy enthusiasm of a child opening her birthday presents, unable to wait another second. From the tattered envelop I untucked a brief note.

_Esme, my dearest,_

_There is an island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro that now bears your name. It sits at -23.9 degrees latitude, -42.8 degrees longitude, amidst the warm blue waters of the South Atlantic Ocean. Now you no longer have to dream about your paradise, my love. In honor of our 20__th__ wedding anniversary, paradise belongs to you. _

_Yours for eternity,_

_C._

For a moment I could do nothing more than stare at my husband's written script, trying to piece each bit of the puzzle together. One thing I knew about Carlisle – he would never, ever joke about something so important to me. If he said it was real, and it was right here between my hands in his writing, then it was as real as could be.

Breathing frantically, I reached for the formal document beside me. I took in every section with wide eyes – a long paragraph in Portuguese, then a long paragraph in English, countless stamps scattered over the margins in faded blue and red ink... a small number measuring the miles from the South American coastline... an obscenely large number preceded by a dollar sign... my husband's name and the name of a foreigner which I did not recognize. At the end of the document, my eyes skimmed the bold, black words in their simple, serif type-face. _Confirmed property ownership on November 20, 1940... __Isle Esme. _

_Isle Esme. _

Vaguely I could hear the branches below me straining with the weight of another. My mind was spinning so fast I had hardly realized that my husband had climbed the tree to join me. He found one thick branch to support him standing and settled his elbow on the branch I was sitting on to balance himself. His hand caught my back gently, breaking me out of my stupor of shock. I must have looked close to fainting.

His fingers grasped one side of the document in my hands to keep it from shaking so much as I held it.

"You don't know how long it took me to find an island that fit the description of the one you drew," he said softly, rubbing the tip of his nose against the shell of my ear.

I stared back at him, incredulous and still utterly speechless.

"Granted, it isn't an exact replica, but I think you will be very pleased with it," he said, a gorgeous smile on his face. "I found it enchanting."

"How... how have you been organizing all of this behind my back?" I demanded, still too shocked to speak without stuttering.

"Let's just say the charity work Edward and I have been doing in Bolivia for the past year was not only for the homeless."

As an addict for altruism, my husband's efforts in third world conditions had always seemed nothing more than a necessary hobby. I never would have held suspicions against him in any regard, much less something as monumental as this. I never saw it coming.

"I can't believe it," I murmured, staring hard at the fine print.

"You will when I take you there," he whispered.

My eyes shot back to his face, questioning.

"Tomorrow morning," he confirmed, his eyes sparkling like fireworks as he dragged his fingers through my hair. "We'll leave our lives behind and pursue a dream..."

The ecstasy flooding my heart and the look on his face finally spurred me into a bout of unrestrained laughter.

"Some things are better said in writing, darling," I giggled, pressing a finger to his lips.

He chuckled bashfully. "Your efforts at being overly romantic may backfire from time to time, too, dear."

"I'd hardly call it backfiring," I mused, kissing the invisible blush on his cheek.

"Would you rather I have blindfolded you from the moment I came home and dragged you all the way there without ever knowing where we were going?" he asked, trying to suppress his laughter.

"That might have been interesting."

He smiled at me, making no further remarks, the joy in his eyes purely incomprehensible as he reached for my hand.

"An island?" I shook my head in disbelief as I lifted the documents back up under the sunlight to make sure they were real. "...an island!" I cried out, still trying to make sense of it all. "Carlisle, you're utterly _outrageous, _do you know that?"

I was thoroughly convinced that my husband had never looked more proud in his life. "I know this is all very sudden," he said, raising himself up slightly on the branches to bring his body closer to mine.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I assured him. "It's all so... perfectly insane," I gushed, touching my fingers to the words _Isle Esme _at the bottom of the page. "An island..." I repeated the phrase once more, wondering if it would ever sound natural. This was his gift to me… I would never be able to comprehend just how fortunate I was for his inhumane generosity.

"You deserve nothing less," he murmured, his voice smooth but husky, like bits of gravel in silk. "If it weren't so suspicious I would find you _ten _islands in every corner of the globe."

I looked up into his face, stunned to find that his expression was utterly serious.

"Why do you do this for me?" I asked him, already knowing his answer. "I already have everything I could ever want, and you give me more?"

His gaze brightened in the shifting rays of sunlight, his smile fond and tranquil as he stared deeply into my eyes. He tipped his head to one side and let his eyes wander over each of my features in turn.

"Because I love you," he finally whispered, stroking my cheek with his knuckle. It was the sheer simplicity of his words and expression that made them so striking to me, and I felt close to tears.

The birds chirped whimsically above us as he leaned in to kiss me. The longer his lips pressed against mine, the more light and impossibly giddy I felt. Eventually my joy overflowed and I could no longer hold it back. He continued to kiss me even while I lost myself in waves of intrusive giggles, his lips finding other ways to occupy themselves when my laughter made kissing impossible.

Somehow I found myself tumbling over the edge of the branch, slipping between his arms as he just narrowly missed catching me. Gravity ensured that he reached the ground moments before I did, allowing me to land awkwardly in his lap. The various pieces of paper he had placed on the branch floated down slowly to land in the grass on either side of us.

"I think you've broken my leg, sweetheart," Carlisle managed to say between breathless laughter. His hand reached down to clutch his kneecap, rubbing it as if to make the hurt wear away.

"Did you, now?" I mused, drawing my hand up the side of his leg until I reached his waist and he shuddered.

"One of us is always falling out of trees," his deep voice echoed softly in my ear.

"I'd like to try falling out of a palm tree when we visit my island tomorrow…" I said, and he laughed robustly at my proposal. I wondered if he knew I was entirely serious.

He feigned an irresistible wince as he stretched his leg, shifting on the ground as if in pain. "I think _I _may need a doctor," he whispered suggestively.

I grinned knowingly at him before reaching discreetly for the buckle of his belt.

"Let me see what I can do to take care of it."

* * *

**A/N: **_So what do you think? They'll be visiting the island for the first time together in the next chapter, then there will be lemons… on the beach. Thank you for reading!  
_


	3. Keeping a Kiss Collection

**Chapter 3:**

**Keeping a Kiss Collection**

* * *

Fourteen hours.

In only fourteen hours I would be visiting _my paradise _for the first time.

I'd imagined it so many ways – an exotic escape protected by swaying palm fronds, skirted by endless blue waters, draped by a cloudless sky.

We would be staying there together for seven days.

Seven days. On the island. Alone. With him.

No matter how I thought of it, the fantasy became more delicious every time I dared to entertain it.

"What will we... _do_ the whole time?" I asked him the evening prior, whilst folding the last of our laundry on our bed as we packed. There was a flirtatious edge to my words, which did not go unnoticed by my attentive husband.

His eyes glistened in amusement for a moment as he paused above his suitcase, lifting his head to stare at me with a soft smile.

He tossed his last shirt inside carelessly and closed the small distance between us, coming to stand beside me. His fingers pried the skirt I'd been folding from between my hands and laid it down on the mattress.

"I thought I'd start by kissing every...exquisite...inch of your body..." He punctuated the words appropriately with chaste kisses across my cheekbones, lingering when he reached the corner of my lip. "That would take a while, wouldn't it?"

I whimpered weakly in response.

Resting in the hollow of my neck, he nestled his nose behind my ear and whispered even lower, "Then you can do the same to me."

My insides tickled pleasantly at the proposition. In the instant I felt it, I gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him to me in a fiery kiss. Now that he had revealed his true intentions to me, I was suddenly eager where I was once nervous. _Just one more night..._

"Or we could just keep doing this..." he mused breathlessly as I nibbled on his lips. I held him tighter and he lifted me up, wrapping my legs around his middle. I could feel his smile as I kissed him fervently, never once pausing for breath as I trapped his head between my hands.

He let me exhaust myself until I was limp and panting, then he spoke softly. "I'm beginning to think we won't have a spare moment, darling."

I hid my face in his neck and smiled.

"I hope not."

**-}0{-**

That night Carlisle read me countless books about tropical utopias, and he teased me with gorgeous descriptions of the beach on my island that would have made any dreamer swoon.

Carlisle had been to beaches all across the world, from Indonesia to Colombia. He knew the varying colors of the ocean in all parts of the earth just as well as he knew the warmth of the waters below the equator line, and the hot rays of the sun that we could only indulge in while hidden from human eyes. Carlisle had only ever experienced these wonders alone, but now he would have me to share them all with.

"Does my island look like this?" I asked, pointing to the bright color photograph in the book he held against our laps. He cocked his head behind me as he looked over the picture.

"Your island is much prettier than this," he whispered, adding a kiss to the tip of my ear.

I beamed to myself as I tucked my head against his shoulder, resting my fingers contentedly on the open book to trace the printed shoreline. "We'll be able to sit out in the sun whenever we want, Carlisle," I murmured wistfully. I felt him sigh over my head.

"Mmhm..."

I turned my face slightly to stare out the window we rested beside. It was a cool, windy night, with barely a sliver of a moon very high in the darkened sky. I could make out the sounds of distant cars if I listened carefully, along with every blade of grass that danced in the breeze.

After so many years of hiding in the house during the day, I had begun to desperately miss being free to roam in the sunshine whenever I pleased. It was almost impossible to take that risk when we lived around people. But a private island would give us the freedom we both longed for.

Out of curiosity I asked Carlisle how we would manage to get to the island.

"By boat from the mainland," he replied simply.

"We'll have to wait for a rainy day," I realized, a wrinkle of worry creasing my forehead as I glanced out the window again.

"We'll be fine," he assured me, comforting me with a sweep of his hand through my hair. "Everything will be perfect."

I closed my eyes and giggled softly until the motion of his hand through my hair ceased.

"What's so funny?" he asked me.

"_Everything_ is perfect with you," I teased.

I heard the smile in his voice when he replied, "Of course it is."

I lightly pushed his arm aside while he chuckled at my reaction, taking firmer hold of the book we shared.

"Turn the page now," I told him.

His fingers folded over mine and took the next page along with them.

"I love these trees," I murmured, pointing to the pictures of tall palm trees on the beach. "They must look so pretty when they wave in the breeze."

"Do you know why they're called palm trees?" Carlisle asked, eager to share a bit of his infamous old world trivia with me.

"Why?" I humored him with a smile, already guessing what the answer could be.

"Because their leaves resemble hands with outspread fingers... See?" He demonstrated by taking my hand and tracing the inside of each of my fingers from base to tip until they were evenly splayed.

"Was that just an excuse for you to hold my hand, Carlisle?" I pried, a distinct note of teasing in my voice. I let my neck bend back to rest on his shoulder so I could look up at his face.

He stared down at me with a look of pure innocence and asked in a husky voice, "Do I _need _an excuse to hold your hand, Esme?"

With that, he grasped all five of my fingers and bent them neatly back into my palm, firmly holding my fist inside of his hand.

Before I could offer him a predictable reply, I noticed that his face was already inches from mine, and I watched through hooded eyes as he leaned down to kiss me. His mouth parted against mine, and he pressed his tongue to the underside of my upper lip, coaxing me to open for him.

His kisses lovingly scorched my lips, his pace eager but mellow – a comfortable balance between the two. When his face finally parted from mine I felt the calming contour of his finger against my bottom lip. He had developed a small habit of touching my lips, studying them after he had kissed them. It was as if he wanted to see if anything about them had changed, if his kiss had somehow altered their texture or shaped them differently. His eyes were mildly fascinated when I looked up at him, still fixated on the effects of our kissing.

"Your eyes are far away," I observed fondly, my voice groggy.

His face was flawlessly serious, but the pitch black depths of his eyes were unmistakably playful when he replied to my remark. "I was just imagining what _you _would look like, lying on a beach like this one," he said, his words rough and silky as he prodded the picture of the sun-kissed shore in our picture book.

"I wouldn't look much different than I do right now, I suppose," I sighed casually, stretching my neck back as he cradled me closer in his arms to whisper against my ear.

"But in my imagination you are _naked_, darling..."

A tiny gasp of surprise escaped my lips, and I caught his boyish grin just before his fingers made a devious path for my blouse buttons.

"And is that the _real _reason you bought me this island, Doctor?" I asked crossly, folding my arms protectively over my chest. "To see your wife lying stark bare in the sand every day?"

"There are so many more reasons than that, my love," he sighed suggestively against my cheek.

Like a helpless fool, I melted instantly at his words. He chuckled tenderly as I straightened up with effort, clutching his shirt to bring myself high enough to meet his lips for a sweet, fleeting moment.

His kiss left a warm tingle dancing on my lips as I let myself settle back into his arms. "I can't wait to walk on the beach with you," I muttered through peacefully closed eyes, as if talking in my sleep.

I listened as he leaned over me to crack open the window, inviting the cool night air to tease our clothes with a wayward breeze that smelt of flowers and rain.

His hand tightened around mine as he gently shifted my body along with his to settle among the cushions in the bay window. "I fear that I may lose your heart to the sea, Esme," he sighed pensively.

"Impossible," I said with a giggle and an affectionate nudge to his arm.

"Just wait until you see it. It is the most magnificent sight in the world. The pictures cannot even compare," he said, trailing his fingers over the edge of the page until the tips of his fingers collided with my own. "You will never find a brighter blue than that of the ocean. The sand there is so white you'd swear it was snow. And the scent of salt is so strong it will inebriate you."

I smiled wistfully to myself at my husband's intoxicating descriptions.

"Maybe you _are _in danger of losing my heart to the sea, Carlisle," I teased. "Are you sure you still want to take me there?"

Closing our book, he lifted my hand and gently kissed the tips of my fingers.

"I have no choice."

**-}0{-**

It still amazed me that two decades ago Carlisle had given me a book of South American maps as a gift before we were even engaged to be married. I'd confessed to him my silly dreams of one day traveling as far as Rio de Janeiro. Needless to say, these dreams were anything but silly anymore.

Now we were going there together. Finally, I would see the sun rise over an endless blue ocean with my husband's hand in mine. It seemed almost too good to be true until after two days of traveling, we finally made it to the South American coastline.

The sun was delightful, but the frequency with which it showed itself in the South made it very difficult for us to travel freely around humans. However, I was too ecstatic to be embarking on such a romantic journey to fret over the delay.

We arrived in Rio de Janeiro before dawn, sparing us a few hours to explore the city before the risk of full sunlight set in.

The most stunning sight of all was the statue of Christ the Redeemer, hovering over the city with its arms outspread in a gesture of inconceivable compassion. I'd found it almost eerie in a way, most especially because we'd arrived quite early in the morning when the sky was still dark and ominous. Lit by the dim morning city lights, the grandness of the statue was dulled ever so slightly, giving it an aura of regal tranquility as it stood over the silent mountainside.

I watched Carlisle's eyes travel reverently up to the statue as we passed through the city. He seemed haunted by it, in the most beautiful way. I knew my husband well enough to recognize the pious undertones in his gaze when he looked upon objects of holy significance. Yet I was the one who caught myself staring at it far longer than necessary. Something about it had me utterly mesmerized.

"You know they started building it the year we were married," he told me softly, noticing the direction of my eyes.

"Really?"

He hummed in confirmation against my cheek. I sighed and closed my eyes as his sweet scent settled over me, aching to kiss him though we were in public.

"It almost seems... alive," I observed mystically. "Doesn't it?"

He raised his head up to give the stunning monument another lingering look. "It does," he whispered before leading me down to the docks by the shore.

The boat ride to the island would have been nerve-wracking if it weren't for my unbridled excitement. Only one human accompanied us on the short trip, a young native man named Seville. His dark eyes were kindly, though he often spared me a suspicious glance on our way across the water. I knew I must have looked anxious, but it was only my eagerness to finally see my gift that made me appear that way.

The land grew smaller and more distant the further we went. The sea was spectacular even under an overcast sky. I could just imagine how incredible it would look under the sparkling rays of the sun.

My excitement grew with every small island we passed, leaving me to wonder which one we would approach at last. The clouds in the sky had been thick and widespread when first we left, but now they were not looking so reliable. Fleeting strips of sunlight skidded over the waves behind us, causing the water to sparkle and shine. I swallowed hard with the worry that our skin would soon be sparkling in much the same way if we did not hurry.

I squeezed Carlisle's hand when the rays of sunlight looked to be coming in our direction, and he promptly recognized the danger, ordering our sailor to increase our speed in a foreign tongue.

Although our situation really was quite dangerous, I couldn't help but grin to myself as I watched the waters rush by even faster. The sun chasing us from behind certainly made the remainder of our ride all the more thrilling.

I was so distracted by the changing sky that I hardly noticed when our boat entered choppier waters. I looked ahead to find my view of the wide ocean obscured by a bright green mass of land.

"We're here," Carlisle whispered to me, knowing it would take more than just words to confirm it.

I looked to him in shock and he grinned back at me, tightening his hold on each of my hands as he led me off the boat and onto the dock.

The moment my shoes touched the sand, I knew. I had found a new home.

Staring around me, I drank in my exotically astounding surroundings, from the wickedly white sand to the full forests of emerald green palm trees.

I felt like I had walked right into one of the paintings from my books. The entire scene before me was like a work of art come to life.

Carlisle's hands settled on my shoulders from behind, bringing everything at once into reality.

"All mine?" I asked, my voice weak with disbelief.

He buried his lips in my hair and replied softly, "All yours."

**-}0{-**

I caught my husband smirking at me as I carried my suitcases up the stairs to the house two at a time.

"Trying to be delicate, are we?" His voice betrayed his amusement.

I pursed my lips at him, and he laughed. With an easy smile, he gathered the remaining four cases and carried them up the stairs and into the front hall in less than a second.

"Carlisle, be careful!" I chided, with a wary glance around us.

"Seville left. Nobody else is here to see us now," he reassured, holding the door open for me. Paranoid, I still carried the suitcases into the house at a human pace.

"Is it better to be hopeless or hopeful?" I asked, forcing my tone to sound displeased.

He laughed heartily and shut the door behind us.

"Oh, my goodness," I breathed as my eyes fell upon the interior of the house. "It's so pretty in here." I gave the decorated space a long look of approval.

"Hmm."

Disinterested, Carlisle looked about distractedly, glancing down the hallway.

I eagerly rushed to the dining table where a small white basket of seashells had been placed as a centerpiece. My hands found a flawless oyster shell, and I studied it reverently. Carlisle gave me a strange look.

"I love seashells," I explained bashfully. "They're so... strange and wonderful. You just have to wonder how they came to be."

His eyes warmed as he walked in behind me. "That is one the reasons why I collect them."

"Look at all the colors in this one," I said eagerly, tracing the lines of pink and orange in the fan shell I held in my hand.

"There are thousands of them down on the water – they're much prettier than this one," he said softly, pulling the shell from my hand and looking it over with a critical eye before he placed it back in the basket.

"Can we go look for some?" I asked, not caring that I sounded like an impatient child.

Carlisle's cheek twitched in amusement, but he managed a relatively straight face as he tipped his head in the direction of the hall. "Don't you want to put your things away first?"

I pretended to pout as I walked back to my pile of luggage. I grabbed the heaviest one and dragged it toward the bedroom where the door was already open. I let the carpetbag slip from my hand as I surveyed the beautiful room speechlessly.

At first I thought my husband's laugh had been to my reaction, and I quickly clamped my mouth shut and turned to face him, only to find him staring down at a note and a set of keys in his hands.

"Seville warned us not to lock ourselves out," he said, still inexplicably humored by the native who had helped us navigate the waters to the island. "Do you want me to bring the rest in?" he asked me distantly, still not looking up from the page of scrawled Portuguese.

"Okay," I murmured.

He left the room, and I sat on the edge of the bed to remove my shoes which were beginning to get in the way. I was so ready to remove all of the excess layers and be utterly free in this place. My body sunk pleasantly into the downy comforter of the bed as I kicked off my tightly strapped sandals and wiggled my toes. Distracted, I ran my hand over the clean white sheets and sighed wistfully.

My husband returned a few seconds later and placed my luggage by the closet. Instead of moving toward me, he walked back to the doorway and stared back at me expectantly. "Let's go."

I stared back at him blankly. "Where?"

"To the beach. To see your precious seashells," he reminded me with a sanguine smile.

I had little way to explain my sudden loss of desire to look at seashells. I found that just wanted to look at _him_.

"Oh," I uttered lamely, still frozen on the edge of the mattress. The bed was so comfortable, so soft beneath me...

I didn't want to leave.

He was still waiting for me to get up. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes," I answered quickly. My hands went casually to my knees.

"Do you want me to carry you there?" he asked, his golden eyes glimmering with amusement.

I pretended to consider his offer, as if a decision had to be made. At last I smiled my consent, and he gallantly scooped me up in his arms. He surprised me slightly by carrying me at human speed. Although the beach was only yards away, he prolonged the time it took to reach the waves.

When his feet were just inches from the water, he carefully let me drop to the sand, my bare feet sinking into the fine white dust. I gave a little gasp at the strange new sensation. I had never set foot on a beach before. The sand was burning the soles of my feet, and it was delightfully awkward to walk upon. I loved it.

Carlisle had been right about that... He'd been right about the strong scent of salt as well. I could almost taste the brine on my tongue as I walked along the beach.

"I don't see any shells," I sighed with mock dissatisfaction as I looked around, hands on my hips.

Carlisle bent over to discard his shoes with a heavy sigh and stepped towards the water. "They're near the shoreline."

He took my hand loosely for a few seconds then let go as we reached the curling waves. "There's one." He pointed toward my foot.

I stooped to pick up the strange violet shell, dusting the sand off of it as though it were made of porcelain. "I hope you remembered to bring your collection," I said with a smile as I waved the shell tauntingly before him.

"Of course I remembered it." He grinned at me like a mischievous little boy. "I'm going to clear this entire beach of every last seashell before we leave."

I clicked my tongue and shook my head at him. "I never knew you to be so greedy."

"Only when it comes to seashells," he said as he slipped the small violet shell from between my fingers and hid it inside his pocket. "...and kisses," he added, stealing a swift peck from my lips.

I smiled. "Hmm. Perhaps you should start keeping a kiss collection."

He chuckled in a soft and wistful kind of way, as if he were taking my joke into serious consideration.

"The sun's coming out." I heard him murmur from behind me. I looked up eagerly at the sky as the large rain clouds from that morning finally parted.

The exultant gold rays of the sun crashed over us, and I watched with wonder as his pale skin burst into a blinding shimmer.

A giddy giggle escaped me as I told him, "You look beautiful, Carlisle."

He squinted at me under the harsh light, the strain in his eyes somehow looking exceptionally attractive. He responded to my compliment with light laughter that spurred my heart into restless somersaults.

"You should see yourself," he said with a wide but sober smile. His teeth were startlingly bright against the sun-glazed white-gold of his skin.

On a complete and unexpected whim, I reached down and chucked a seashell at his chest before I fled the scene, giggling madly. I heard him following me through the lush maze of exotic palms that bordered the sand, heading deeper into the dewy jungle.

My flimsy white summer dress was made rainbow with a haphazard accumulation of tropical colors as we raced through the trees. Within a matter of minutes I was covered from head to toe in various nectars, pollens, sand, and dirt. At last Carlisle stopped abruptly at the shoreline on the opposite side of the island, cornering me at the end of our chase. He stood laughing richly at me as I let myself fall into the sparkling sand, then he let his body fall beside me in a heap of carefree elation. I don't think either of us quite understood what we found so hilarious. We were just overwhelmed with joy.

"Your dress has pollen all over it," he noted, brushing the orange and yellow dust from around my waist. His voice was still breathless from laughter.

"It looks better this way, wouldn't you say?" I asked gaily, tossing my hair behind my shoulder as I curved my body to show off the mottled fabric.

"No, not really!" He shook his head robustly. "I much preferred it white."

I scoffed at his obvious teasing and pushed him back into the ground. His arms came back up to grab me before I could make my escape.

"Ah ah... You're not running away from me again."

I sighed submissively as I let his arms lovingly consume my body, bringing me down against his chest. The sun had warmed us during our run, creating the illusion that our exertion had brought about a very human-like warmth. I rested back contentedly against Carlisle's body, basking in the enticing heat that he offered as we stared out at the sea together in awe.

The crystal clear water was a completely indecent shade of aquamarine blue, nearly indistinguishable from the sky. Only my enhanced vision could have made out the fuzzy horizon line that separated the two. I had never even seen the ocean before in my human life, so seeing it now was exceptionally jarring. And to see it with Carlisle beside me...

His arm around my back reaffirmed the reality of it all and I sighed, letting myself fall forever further into his touch.

"Why don't we live here forever?" I asked dreamily.

It seemed an elementary idea until he reminded me why, always the voice of sensibility. "We would completely obliterate whatever wildlife exists here within the first two months, darling."

I smiled bashfully. "Hmm. I suppose we would. You do have a big appetite."

He smirked at me and nudged my side.

"Besides," he continued softly, "this place wouldn't be as special if we spent our eternity here."

"I suppose not." I sighed reluctantly.

His breath tickled my neck as he kissed my scars gently then turned away, face to the wind. I watched as the breeze tousled his warm blond hair in an almost loving way. My fingers ached to elaborate the caress, but I contented myself to remain a shy witness – simply admiring, not touching. The shadows of swaying palms blocked the sun rhythmically from teasing the glitter in his skin – in and out, bright and dim, gold and silver. The magnificence of the seascape before us was stunning, but like everything else, it paled in the presence of my husband.

"I've never seen the ocean this way before," I confessed. "Except in pictures, paintings..." I sighed a bit sadly. "There are a lot of things I've never seen."

My life had been painfully one-dimensional before Carlisle had found me. I was only beginning to discover what true wonders lay waiting for me in the world.

I felt his chin lovingly nudge the top of my head as his lips brushed through my hair. "I'll show you everything, Esme." His voice was so steadfast that I shuddered. "We have forever."

In those three words, I felt the utter force of his love exquisitely combined with the power of his wisdom, gathered from centuries spent all over the globe.

Carlisle had done everything; he had seen everything, he had met people historians could ever only ever pretend to know. It was always overwhelming for me when I imagined all of the things he had done and what he continued to do, doubting I could never measure up to that level of magnificence. I hardly deserved him, yet he was the one who believed he had never deserved me.

My lungs gathered the hundreds of different scents around me; salt water, sand, fruit, my perfume – all were overpowered by his natural fragrance – decadent and mildly arousing even as he remained innocently oblivious to its effect on me.

The level at which I was blessed was sickening. This angel of a man was mine for all eternity. And every day I only seemed to fall deeper in love with him, just as his adoration of me never reached its ever heightening peak. What we shared was the coveted fairytale love that everyone had always told me only existed in romance novels. It was that ridiculous, unattainable level of love made perfectly attainable in my immortality. Our love was perfect because our passion never faltered; instead it grew stronger every day.

My eyes fluttered open, and I looked up into his face. His eyes positively glowed a bright, rich color of sunflower petals under the light. I never ceased to be floored by the saintly perfection of his features. Every time I even glanced at him when he smiled like that, it was like being born all over again. I starved for that smile. It was the smile that made me believe I didn't deserve him.

Unable to respond, I promptly wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him down over me in a passion drenched kiss. It pained me that I could do so little to show him how intensely I loved him, but words just wouldn't explain the phenomenon. Neither, admittedly, would any kiss.

But I so badly wanted to kiss him.

There was such reality in that kiss, in the way I felt every nuance of his lips pressed to mine, his every breath washing across my face, the fierce way he held me in his hands. I could have remained in that moment for the rest of my life.

But life goes on, even for an immortal. I truly believed that our time together had been well spent already, and we had not even begun.

I half expected Carlisle to carry on and make love to me in the sand, but he drew away slowly, a little reluctantly to whisper in my ear.

"I still need to show you the best part of this island..."

* * *

**Thank you for reading! So what could Carlisle possibly think the best part of the island is? We'll find out in the next chapter. :)**


	4. The Best Part of the Island

**Chapter 4:**

**The Best Part of the Island**

* * *

_"I still need to show you the best part of this island."_

Struck with curiosity, I smiled questioningly at him, and he promptly lifted me to my feet. As he took my hand, I saw the fleeting flash of his heartbreaking smile just before we sped off again into the heart of the jungle. Streaks of neon-colored tropical flora zoomed past us, the air so thick with warmth and moisture it felt as though we were swimming through it.

Carlisle ran vigorously beside me, his every breath exaggerated. I could feel the force of his exertions as his feet pounded into the soft ground beside mine, dragging me along with him. I felt connected to him, my breaths adjusting to match his while I ran. Every step I took brought me brushing up against him, enhancing the intimacy of our impromptu race. Our footsteps became a kind of joint pulse to replace the lost beat of our blood, the way it used to race inside our veins.

Carlisle slowed when we reached what I guessed was exact center of the island, clutching both my arms and holding me against his chest to keep me from going any further. At the same time his hand folded across my eyes, darkening my view to nothing. I squirmed in frustration, demanding him to pull his hand away so that I could at least see where we were. But he only chuckled and walked along with me in his arms, never once lifting his hand to offer me so much as a peek at what lay ahead of our path.

The hot tropical sun had heated his skin and the humidity had dampened his clothes, making his body against mine feel so very human. I collapsed helplessly against him, a willing captive as he trapped me in his arms and walked steadily onward.

I could make out little sparkling flashes of sunlight through his fingers as he covered my eyes. His hand was squirming excitedly over my eyes as he led me forward, making me even more eager to see what he hid from me.

"Where are you taking me?" I whined, burning with curiosity. Although I trusted him, I kept my fingers at the ready, firmly poised above his hand over my eye. In the case he might slip away the slightest bit, I would at least be ready to take advantage of it.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise," he said with a click of his tongue. His free hand quickly snatched my prying fingers away and held them behind my back. "Now stop trying to move my hand away," he chastised me with a dark chuckle.

I could make out the sweet songs of exotic birds in the treetops above us, and somewhere close by I could hear the steady rushing of water growing stronger by the second. I thought at first he was coming closer to the surf of the ocean, but our altitude was too high for us to be on the beach. The wind was relentless up here, whipping my hair all around my face and fluttering my skirt around my knees.

A part of me was almost nervous to guess where we were right now. The rushing of water grew louder the further he took me. It almost sounded like...

"Let me see it now!" I hissed excitedly, batting at his arm to release me. "Carlisle, please!"

His pleased laughter warmed me more than the sun. I felt his hand loosen over my eyes as he considered letting me peek. My squirming was hard for him to resist. Sensing his weakened grip, I hastily tore his hand away and leaned forward in preparation to take in whatever sight he had placed before me.

I gasped when I opened my eyes.

Together we were standing on the brink of a majestic waterfall which spilled into a crystal blue oasis nearly sixty feet below. The sight was both breathtaking and a bit frightening, even for someone indestructible like me.

"It's…indescribable," I murmured breathlessly.

"You weren't supposed to look yet," he whispered into my ear, tucking wayward tendrils of my hair behind my ear as the wind carried them out of place.

A grin broke over my face. "I couldn't resist."

I giggled nervously as I stepped forward, closer to the rocky edge of the cliff beside the rushing water. The ledge formed a crescent shape around the waterfall, creating a small lagoon at the bottom where trees bent inwards as if leaning towards the warm oasis.

As thrilling as this place was, I wanted to be _down there _rather than _up here_.

I did not fear falling over the edge, but the sight of such a steep plunge with no barrier whatsoever made me uneasy for various reminiscent reasons. The edge of any sort of cliff would never be my favorite place in the world, as wondrous as it may have been to look at from its height.

As I stared in awe down at the sight below, I could sense Carlisle bustling suspiciously around behind me.

I had the distinct impression that he was preparing to jump, and I wasn't sure that I wanted him to.

His grin was impossibly youthful, his expression spectacularly carefree; so fascinatingly out of character from the solemn, patient demeanor he usually wore. I watched in shock as he flippantly yanked off his shirt and flung it over a nearby tree branch. My stomach plummeted.

He _was_ going to jump.

"Wait—Carlisle!" I promptly anchored myself around his arm, pulling him back before he could even move forward.

He looked back at me with a pair of wide, innocent eyes that tugged at my heartstrings.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, outraged but also deeply intrigued.

"Take my hand, and I'll show you," he said with his most flattering smile. He knew I could never refuse him when he was smiling at me like that. But immortal or not, I was not quite ready to jump blissfully off the edge of a cliff...again.

"I am _not_ going to jump, if that is what you're implying," I said adamantly, trying desperately not to be swayed by the winsome grin on his face. _Why did he suddenly become ten times as handsome whenever I wanted to refuse him something?_

He promptly took both my hands in his and held them snugly against his bare stomach. I swallowed hard. "We can't get hurt, darling," he assured me in his softer-than-cotton bedside voice.

"I know, but—I have a bit of a problem with...cliffs," I sighed nervously, hoping he'd catch the implications.

"Even when _I'm_ jumping off with you?" he asked softly, tilting his head down to meet my hardened gaze with a look that pulled my heart apart at the seams.

Why was I even trying to refuse him? _What did he want me to do again?_

"Uh huh..." I murmured incoherently, unaware that he was slyly maneuvering me closer to the edge of the waterfall. Before I knew it, I'd let him link my fingers securely within his own and wrap his hand firmly around my waist.

All that held my attention were his absorbing golden eyes as he pulled me against him, and together we fell.

It took no more than a few exquisite airborne seconds before we were under the rushing roar of the water, arms and legs tangling against each other along with the currents.

The water was crystal clear, dancing with reflections of sunlight that scattered across the sand below. While still in the sun's rays, our skin under the water cast a different sort of glimmer, more of an ethereal glow. It was diaphanous, almost iridescent, like opals instead of diamonds.

Although we could not use words beneath the water, we spoke more coherently with expression and movement. Carlisle's exhilarated smile encouraged me to follow, to trust. I knew only that my expression mirrored his, perhaps just half as radiant.

His hands snagged at my waist playfully as I attempted to surface for unnecessary breath. He pulled me down deeper where the water was bluer and the pressure greater. I was resistant at first, but his charming persistence lovingly urged me on. I knew no harm would come to me when he was there. The world under the water was breathtakingly beautiful, and he wanted to share it with me.

Tiny rainbows of fluorescent fish darted around us, oblivious to our intrusion, accommodating to our nonsense.

Carlisle tugged on my hand until I crashed softly into him, powerless to the current of the water so far beneath the surface. We acclimated to the new language of using only our eyes, our hands, and our smiles to convey our wishes. It was an easy language to learn and an even easier one to use.

In a rare reversal of roles, I loomed above him as he lay flat against the sandy floor, staring vulnerably up at me. His eyes were a brilliant, piercing yellow in the strange aquamarine light as his gaze lowered contentedly down my neck.

I looked down curiously and found that my filmy white sundress was made nearly translucent under the water.

With a teasing glare, I slapped him admonishingly across his heart and propelled myself away from him as he laughed soundlessly at my reaction.

My heart sang when I felt his hand tug gently at my foot from below me. _I always wanted him to catch me._

I didn't protest when he effortlessly pulled me back into his arms and joined our lips tenderly. Our kissing was rushed, slippery and frustrating as we struggled to stay together against the currents. Carlisle pulled away before I'd had my fill and smirked gleefully at me as he swam into the cavernous space beneath the waterfall. I knew he wanted me to follow him.

Completely disregarding any danger I had perceived before, I took off after him, limbs straining to swim as fast as possible, fighting the pressure as I went deeper. I hesitated when I came to the shadowy grotto between the rocks, slightly intimidated by the endless mouth of darkness I saw inside.

Decades before, _I_ would have been the one to drag Carlisle into a situation like this. But motherhood and years of looking after reckless children had somewhat softened my sense of adventure. Slowly but surely, Carlisle was helping me to find it again.

My eyes blinked in the dim blue water as I stared into the cave where Carlisle had disappeared. I lingered by its rocky entrance for a moment or two, then decidedly stroked my arms outward to continue swimming deeper. The water tugged me along encouragingly, becoming cooler the further I went.

Once inside the underwater cave, I saw that it wasn't as eerie and shadowy as I had thought before. Inside it was beautiful, and it only became more so the deeper I went. Dimly lit by sporadic pinpoints of sunlight that sparkled through the ceiling, and decorated with silky blue and green sea-grass, it more resembled a secret passage in the palace of Atlantis than a scary black hole.

A few meters in, I found a scrap of khaki fabric that had once been part of my husband's trousers laying amongst the rocks. I giggled inwardly as I found another, larger piece of the same fabric a few feet deeper. I began to wonder if his spontaneous stripping was intentional, leaving behind a purposeful path for me to follow.

A naughty thought came to mind as I briefly considered leaving behind an article of my own clothing for him to find. But then I remembered that _I_ was the pursuer in this little game, and I had yet to find the one I pursued.

Soon I reached what looked to be the end of the passage. I found myself in a cramp clearing full of gleaming blue stones and tiny black angelfish that tickled my limbs as they danced around me. Amidst the overwhelming flutter of their fins, I felt a notably more intentional touch against the small of my back...a fine brush along my shoulder blade...a teasing graze on the nape of my neck.

In one swift movement, the water around me swelled as a gloriously strong pair of hands seized my waist from behind. I smiled as his fingers fluttered mercilessly across my hipbones, letting go when he knew I wanted to be held tighter.

I caught the unmistakable glint of his eyes in the shadows as he attempted to escape yet again, leading the way out of the cave. But this time he let me catch him.

The tenacious current tangled us together in an awkward, tumbling mess of limbs as we swam beneath the rushing pressure of the waterfall. I clung to him instinctively, but the current did not draw us apart, it only forced us closer against each other. Because naturally, it knew we should have been that way.

I noticed with amusement that my husband's trousers were now torn at the knees on both his legs. They had fallen loose and low on his waist now, just barely clinging to the angular valley of his sculpted pelvic bones. When his back faced me, I could make out the endearing indentations of muscle strain just above his bottom. I literally ached to free him of the fabric.

Soft, sly fingers again scampered about my midriff, but this time I taunted him right back, quickly hooking my two baby fingers around the empty belt-loops of his waistband. His eyes hooded as he looked down to find that I had him in my clutches, his lips parted beckoningly.

I would oblige him. _But not just yet_.

My body began to gravitate toward the sunny surface of the pool, feeling lighter and lighter as the pressure eased off of me after each layer of water I passed through. I lingered for a while in the comfortably calm few feet beneath the surface, floating under a glassy sky. I watched the clouds above billow with the ripples as I reached up and traced my fingertips across the surface of the water. It felt like I was painting the sky.

My heart gave a delighted jolt as Carlisle's gentle, teasing grip found my thighs. Hands securely beneath the skirt of my sundress, he worked his fingers boldly up the sensitive skin, and I at last let him claim me.

I fell against the divine cradle of his chest, a stiff bed of muscles cushioning me as he rose swiftly from the water. My giggles broke out in musical echoes, finally free above the surface. I laughed brokenly around his name then shrieked as he plunged back in unexpectedly, tugging me down along with him.

A silver cascade of glittering bubbles rushed upward all around us, tickling our skin relentlessly. My laughter was a watery hum beneath the water as Carlisle continued pulling, prolonging his unceasing possession of me.

I was his. _Didn't he know that by now?_

I took his smile between my hands and kissed it, settling back into the solid cradle of his arms. _He was mine, too. _

I could feel his smile growing against me while I kissed him, indulgent and giddy. His restless tugging eventually ceased, allowing us to float slowly back up to the surface. I went on kissing him as he dragged me drunkenly to the shore, collapsing beneath me on the toasty sand.

Whatever leftover clothes we still wore clung to us annoyingly – soaked, tissue-thin barriers of frustration. I took my kisses southward, straying away from his mouth to wander down his neck. My lips slipped lovingly down his throat and across the alluring lines of his chiseled chest as he squirmed restlessly under my attentions. His hands roamed beneath my dress, kneading my back as I arched willfully against him.

I distracted his lips once again as I hitched a finger around my drawers, slipping them past my legs before I climbed back onto him.

I paused then, suddenly timid because of my boldness, and I gazed into his eyes for his wordless consent before sliding the buttons of his trousers apart. I slowly worked him free, filled with a familiar fire when my fingers collided with the smooth, glistening flesh beneath.

"If we want this island to truly belong to us, we should christen it properly, don't you think?" I murmured throatily, my lips moving teasingly against his bare waist.

He groaned in agreement as I pulled his trousers down to his knees. I smiled at the sound of them tearing as he kicked them violently off. His hands wound around my hips, gentle yet firm as he lifted me up to sit astride his waist.

I could feel all of him now, hard and hot against my thigh. My neck tilted back with a blissful sigh, my eyes falling closed while the sunlight spread over my skin. My still soaking dress fanned over our hips, protecting our coupling from the prying eyes of the tropical flora and fauna that surrounded us.

My body trembled violently with unspoken love as he tenderly knifed through my feminine flesh, pushing slowly but deliberately upward, his hips lifting my entire weight with each thrust.

Each breath he uttered was clipped and desperate, but I heard the distinct note of his voice within each one. Sweet, melodious whimpers spilled from my own lips as our rhythm effortlessly accelerated. His hands traveled freely across my shoulders, sliding sensually down my breasts as he cupped them through the clinging white cotton of my dress. His fingers stroked and prodded eagerly, singling out all those places he knew would elicit chills from me.

The sun above watched us silently with its loving, heated gaze. Passing rays of light stroked our slick skin, the warmth spreading over our bodies like a heavy blanket. With each thrust, our bodies were made more pliant and giving from the scorching heat. We carried on tirelessly in our visceral embrace until we were fully melting into each other, unable to break apart for so much as a breath.

Consuming us was a thrilling orgy of sensations, from the bursting heat of the sun overhead to the sweet perfume of the tropical flowers that bloomed around us. Beside us the waterfall beat down against the rocks, showering our bodies with a cool spray of sea water. Beneath the restless dance of our hips, the quiet rhythm of sliding sand echoed our primitive tempo. I was always overcome by the feral elegance of copulating in nature, but being on a beach in an exotic island was even more magical than being in the middle of a forest at twilight.

Breathless little shrieks fled my lips one by one as a strong tide of pleasure consumed me. I collapsed over my husband with my face nestled in his neck, twisting my fingers encouragingly into his damp, sun-kissed blond locks. He purred happily beneath me, the generous vibrations prolonging our incoming waves of pleasure. I settled into stillness as his arms wound securely around my back, fastening me to his body.

Coated in a sheen of salty water and sunlight, I felt truly as if were just a pair of humans, basking in the pleasant exhaustion that followed vigorous lovemaking.

Minutes passed by in contented silence until Carlisle finally spoke.

"I wasn't expecting that," he admitted languidly.

I managed a cunning little laugh in response.

_I was. _

I hugged my husband possessively, pushing him further into the hot sand as I laced my legs with his. After just several hours of exploring my island, I already felt a deliciously deep connection with the beautiful land. If every day I spent here went exactly as this day had, I would be a very happy wife.

Vaguely I wondered how Carlisle would ever get me to leave this place.

* * *

**How did you like the waterfall scene? Did you suspect that was where Carlisle was going to take her? **

**As I was writing this chapter, I began to get lots of ideas for where I want to spend my winter vacation! Up next, Carlisle goes diving for pearls, and Esme will learn some Portuguese. ;)**

**Thank you to everyone reading. If you have the time, I'd always love to hear what you think of the chapter. **


End file.
